


over the hills and underland

by crowaion



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Other, Wonderland AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-17 00:09:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5846278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowaion/pseuds/crowaion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tomoya. It's hard to be "normal" - such a definition is constantly changing, always forcing people to shove down who they are to fit a bland and gray mold. Is it not easier to be "yourself"? Oh no, I quite think that's rather difficult too. Will people accept "me"? Can I be "free"? Now those are worries we all have. But, listen Tomoya, I think you have a great potential. Much more than you believe you have. And I think if you can let such muchness flow out, then certainly you will astound this world. You could rip apart the very seams of it, even!</p><p>... Tomoya. Please show me that "wonderland" only you can create.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. i. Down the Rabbit Hole!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomoya heads to Wonderland and meets a very familiar rabbit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> because ive been planning this for an entire year and happy elements fucked me so im here to write it myself

**i.** _Down the Rabbit Hole!_

* * *

 It was a sunny afternoon, the rays of light so bright it felt as if the world was doused in a golden hue. Almost magical, serene even. And on that day, Tomoya laid across the grass, vaguely registering the words Anzu was softly saying about an upcoming live - something that included the rest of the Drama Club and some others. While he might've dreaded it before, after having sorted things out with the club president, he faintly felt excited for this new idea Anzu was coming up with.

"So... I was thinking about who to make the lead." Anzu says, showing her notebook full of quickly yet nicely scribbled down writing of notes and details, even little designs and drawings. However, they make no sense to Tomoya so he looks away, turning his gaze back onto the blue sky.

"Won't it just be Hibiki-senpai, as always?" Tomoya murmurs vacantly, twisting at blades of grass idly.

"Mm, there's another role for him - something else he'd much rather enjoy." Anzu smiles gently, "He actually suggested someone to play the lead instead, but..."

By then, Tomoya had once again zoned out. Unintentional, of course! It was such a warm, lazy day he could not help but feel rather sluggish, pulled apart from reality into a world of his own. When he sits up, he notices Anzu's off in her own world of thought, planning the upcoming event, so he focuses, instead, on getting up and looking for flowers - he'll make little bracelets and rings, crowns even, if he has enough. His unit would like them and he bet Wataru would be overjoyed from a gift alone... Not that he especially planned on making anything for him.

He moves further into the gardens, debating on flowers to use (and if Eichi would mind at all if he used them) when a flicker of white darts across his vision. He immediately recognizes it to be a rabbit (and of course he'd know, his unit is called Ra*bits after all) and, almost as if he can't control himself, his attention is focused on the creature. All musings of flower accessories pushed aside, he moves further along, following the rabbit to the point where, once he regains himself, he has no idea where he is.

He's surrounded by trees so tall and full they block out most light, bushes just as alive and vivid surrounding him like a maze. If he looks closer, he thinks he sees little rose buds, but as he inches forward, his eyes catch something else. A rather large hole - big enough for a human. Wondering how it got there, he walks toward it, inspecting it with utmost curiosity.

"I wonder how far it goes down...? Makes me curious." He says to himself, crouching down and peering in. "I wonder if rabbits live here? Well, they must. It's not like a human could really fit in here... I mean, what would it even be? An entrance to--"

"-- A whole other world?" A voice finishes. Tomoya freezes. It's as if the speaker is breathing down his neck and it's more unsettling than anything he's ever felt before. A sense of dread comes upon him, he doesn't even wish to turn and look. But the voice continues on vibrantly, "Ya bet it is, if that's your guess! C'mon now, have fun for once 'n take a look, T... -chin..."

Tomoya doesn't have time to hear the rest, he's promptly pushed in, as if there's no time to wonder or ponder. He thinks, of course, that at some point (and a very quick point at that) he'll fall and hit the ground, shouting at whoever pushed him. But he keeps falling. So he opens his eyes (which he now realizes were shut and this hole isn't just dark) and gasps at what he sees.

He's falling but slowly, safely, surrounded by all kinds of things. Pianos, tables, pots and pans, little toys and more - all embedded within the dirt. And as he falls, there are some things floating - chairs, plates, clocks, and more.

"How's this possible...? It doesn't make any sense at all!" He exclaims, flailing around as if it'll somehow get him back up. But, he wonders now, is up even up? Is he even going down? It's such an odd senation - he's lost all sense of gravity, of direction. And he wonders even further if soon he'll even lose his sense of logic and self. But he has not much time at all to mull those thoughts around, soon finding himself landing slowly onto the ground, although he falls despite landing quite nicely for someone who got shoved into an almost never-ending rabbit hole.

"Ugh... What a pain..." He grumbles as he gets up, dusting himself off and looking himself over - confirming there were no injuries. Now THAT was odd. "I must be dreaming at this rate, honestly... God, where am I? This is pretty solid for a dream. Usually when you figure out it's a dream, you wake up, don't you?"

Once again a flicker of white and Tomoya looks about frantically. The rabbit? Well this WAS a rabbit hole. Of course there'd be...

"Oh my god." He finally looks around now, really and truly registering his surroundings. He'd just been in a forest and he'd fallen down a hole. So why was he in a room now? A small circular room, surrounded with doors and a table at the very center. He pulls his hands close to his chest, very much nervous to be in completely new surroundings. But he assures himself it's merely a dream and steps closer towards the table, making his way completely there and inspecting the things upon it.

A small glass bottle with a tag reading "DRINK ME" and two little cakes both with icing that read "EAT ME." Between them both lay a golden key. He tilts his head to the side just slight, furrowing his brows. "Isn't this... like a book? Oh, if this is not a dream, then it's got to be another one of Hibiki-senpai's ideas. Well, in his own right, at least this one isn't as bad as before. He must really be trying to limit himself after our talk... That's good. Ahh... but then is he testing me? To get out...? No, it's more than that... If it is Hibiki-senpai, then this wouldn't just be me escaping this room..."

Biting his lip, he looks around again, finally noticing a smaller door at the ground. That's got to be what he needs to go through, but he's still wondering if this is a dream or not. Surely Wataru could not expect him to fit through that? He may be small, but that was the size of a small creature! Then, surely, this must be a dream, Tomoya decides, thinking that he's simply been much too worried about his club president, so it's influenced this.

Betting on that, he snatches up the drink and cakes and shuts his eyes tight, mumbling a "I hope this works...!" before popping off the cork of the bottle and downing it's contents. He takes the key quickly now, dropping it into his pocket and, to his amazement, he does shrink - just like he thought he would. He can't remember it clearly, but this story does feel familiar. His clothes, the cakes he was holding, and the key as well all shrunk down with him and, after confirming that, he rushes over to the small door, taking the key and unlocking it, quickly moving out and eating one of the cakes, growing back to normal size happily.

"I did it...! Good... But, uh... now what?" Now he's outside. Literally. Surrounded by a forest yet one unlike the forest he'd entered from, he doesn't have time to think about how he exited a _room_ and got _outside_ before he sees a flicker of white again. "Oh! The ra--" However, what jumps out at him... well, it isn't far from being a rabbit, but it isn't exactly close to one either.

"Ya did it! Wahh, I'm so proud of ya, Alice! Now we can get headin' to Wonderland!"

Tomoya's eyes widen when he meets eyes with the other person, stumbling backwards a bit from the shock. Oh god. Is this a dream or not? Raising a hand to his head, he presses it against his forehead, holding back a headache he can feel coming.

"Big brother...?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright its 2AM and i did this all in an hour to get started. im passing out. next chapter will be up soon!


	2. ii. A Great Question.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomoya continues through Wonderland and meets a very grumpy caterpillar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> while in wonderland, there will be no honorifics used between characters except sometimes in tomoya's thoughts.

**ii.** _A Great Question._

* * *

 It takes him seconds - minutes, even, to truly adjust to the fact the person standing before him is none other than Nazuna, yet not quite _his_ Nazuna either. After all, his unit leader may be leading a group built on cuteness, but what a surprise it'd be for him to dress like this, really! With big fluffy ears and a small poofy tail - not to mention his entire ensemble felt more suiting for a unit like fine, so westernized and Victorian-esque with it's overly formal and ruffled fabrics than Ra*bits, of which they both belonged to.

But this Nazuna smiles brightly, rocking back and forth on the heels of his feet, the backs of his hands placed against his hips as he watches Tomoya think and think about what _exactly_ is going on. It's rather funny to him, really. "So, Alice, shall we be going?"

"Wh... Alice? No... No, I'm Tomoya, first of all. And second of all, you may look familiar, but why should I ever follow you? It feels suspicious, you know! Too suspicious!" Tomoya half frets and half accuses, looking at Nazuna as if he must be some kind of shapeshifting monster sent to take him away.

"Alice is Alice, that's all there is to it! Makes sense, really. You're just thinkin' too hard." Nazuna replies, ceasing his rocking and turning around to point at a path that Tomoya swears was not there previously. "Now, no more complainin'! We got to get goin'. You've got lots of people to see, Alice."

Tomoya weighs his options. He could stay here, lost in this forest and at risk of what the forest may hold or he could follow this rabbit boy and figure out what exactly's going on while taking on the risk of possibly being murdered. Steeling himself for the latter, he thinks to himself he did say he'd become strong someday, so certainly this must be a test - and he won't fail! He made a promise, to not only himself, but to Wataru and the others.

"Alright, I'm coming."

"Good, good! No time to waste now, y'know! Ya spent sooooo long thinkin' that we're runnin' late! God, you really ought to stop doin' that! The thinkin' thing! What's the point? Just jump right in!"

He moves so fast, Tomoya thinks as he jogs to keep up with Nazuna, even through his words he's rushing through. But he doesn't open his mouth anymore to argue for it seems like arguing is for naught here - nothing he says would compute in the other's brain, likewise as it is for him. He'd simply have to adjust and make his way out of here as soon as possible.

He does take his time to look around as they rush along, though - as much as he can, anyway, for someone who has to practically run to keep up with the other. Everything is off. Fish in the sky and birds underwater, butterflies with buttered bread for wings and praying mantises that seem to really be praying! Yet despite the weirdness of it all, it's beautiful. The sky is a soft pink but it changes to blue and green and yellow and more as if time is constantly changing in a way he cannot understand. The flowers on the ground seem to respond when he speaks, and he smiles despite himself, thinking about how Wataru had once told him that flowers grow more beautifully when you speak to them with love.

It's an amazing world, to say the least, and he finds himself slowly relaxing, finally realizing how much tension he'd been holding in from being thrust into such a new and unfamiliar place. But he could learn from the experience, so he decides to be a bit more accepting of it all. "Where exactly are we going... uh...?"

"White Rabbit! Nazuna works too." Nazuna replies, not even sparing a glance over the shoulder as he continues on, "We're goin' to see Wonderland. Oh, but do avoid the Queens, unless she is dressed in White! There's many Queens here. The Queen of Hearts 'n the Red Queen are very scary individuals, y'know! Especially that Queen of Hearts. But the White Queen is kind 'n fair. There are others, too, such as the Diamond, Spade, and Clover Queens, but ya won't need to see those much at all. Just remember: Hearts and Red are bad, but White will never make you sad!"

"Aha... that's a weird little rhyme to remember it with."

"But it works! Or, well, it should! Or you'll suffer in some way. That Queen of Hearts? They'll take down anyone in their way." Nazuna shivers, "Sadly, enough, I've come into their path before and it wasn't a pleasant experience. After all, I work for them now. Oh, but don't worry. Most of us Underlandians don't like the Queen very much, so we don't reeeally obey them." Nazuna turns now to grin at Tomoya, placing a finger to his lips as if to gesture this is their secret now.

"O-Oh... I see. I won't get in their way then."

Nazuna nods and they continue on in silence until Tomoya begins to see houses and hear voices. When Nazuna stops, it's in front of a house where a boy in green and another in red armour are talking - although on one end Tomoya notes it doesn't seem too happy a conversation.

"Oh... I guess that Knave is here again, talking to the Lizard. Well, their names are Chiaki and Midori, though." Nazuna gestures to each one and gives an exasperated smile, gesturing with a hand for Tomoya to follow as he walks forward towards the two.

"C'mon, Midori...! Together with the rest of my group, we could really take down the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen!" Chiaki shouts up to the other boy, who's atop a ladder, and Tomoya assumes he must've been fixing something.

"Y-You WORK for the Queen of Hearts, you know...! Why should I trust you exactly...? God, I'm gonna die... I'm really going to die if you keep talking to me..." Midori shudders, clinging to the ladder for dear life.

"I do NOT work for them! I am infiltrating, as a warrior for JUSTICE! And you, Midori, have that justice within you too! I know it! We could take the Queens down! We have to do what the heroes before us could not!" Chiaki continues to shout and Tomoya wonders why he's shouting something like that - wouldn't it get him in trouble? Well, he decides he must be as naive as his world's Chiaki, then.

The two continue to argue for awhile before two others come running out from another direction of the forest. One is dressed in black and the other yellow. Nazuna mutters their names as Tetora and Shinobu but Tomoya was already catching on to what their names might be by now.

"Captain! The Queen says you gotta get back RIGHT now." Tetoa says, pulling at Chiaki's arm, trying to get him to move but all Chiaki does is lean slightly and it seems Tetora isn't quite strong enough yet to simply drag Chiaki around. He notices that Tetora wears a different set of armour, in black yet with red here and there. If the Queen of Hearts and Red Queen are both bad and those two listen to them, Tomoya assumes where Chiaki works for the Hearts, Tetora works for Red.

"Yes! You really must go, Captain! I will watch after Sir Midori and make certain you speak once again, properly...!" The small yellow boy manages to get out, despite much difficulty. He looks to Midori for acceptance and finally the brunet seems to nod and give in, causing Chiaki to give a grin so bright it'd surely outshine the sun.

"Alright! Honorary Yellow Knight, you protect and guard Midori! We will return when we can!" Chiaki says firmly, giving Shinobu a pat on the head, receiving a giggle in response. As he and Tetora leave, Shinobu waves goodbye to them with all his might before turning back to Midori, smiling and giving a strong nod, to which Midori smiles exasperatedly.

"All's well that ends well, right?" Nazuna says, "I thought I'd have to intervene but those boys are closer than ya think. Although, Chiaki worries me... I'm glad Tetora's watchin' out for him. I really do wonder if they can take down the Queens like that, haha!"

Tomoya nods in response, passing the scene by as Nazuna continues walking on, going deeper into the neighbourhood until they reach another end of the forest and, despite there being no signs now, Nazuna walks forward with sure steps until they reach an open clearing. Tomoya lets out a little gasp at how beautiful it is when he enters - everything perfectly placed. It's a circular area and the outer circle is lined with a body of water, one spot in front of them breaking the circle with a path to walk further into the inner circle, where it's grass and ground again. At the very center is a large mushroom, incredibly large - like a house. And atop that mushroom lies a man with green hair and glasses, and he continues on through his book, practically ignoring their presence. Behind that mushroom is a waterfall that flows into the water surrounding the area and all around them are trees and flowers and little creatures.

Tomoya wonders why such a grumpy person is in the center of it all (after all, how can he be so grumpy when this place is so magical?) as said man snaps his book shut and glares down at them.

" _Who_ are you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look we all knew he was going to be the caterpillar. see you all next chapter!


	3. iii. Advice from a Caterpillar.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Be patient," is very good advice, but the waiting makes me curious. And I'd love the change, should something strange begin.
> 
> Tomoya learns a great deal from a caterpillar, cat, rabbit, and duchess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i almost forgot i had to write today. whoops

**iii.** _Advice from a Caterpillar._

* * *

 The man and Tomoya look at each other for quite a time in silence. Or, rather, Tomoya shrunk back and tried not to meet the other's eyes, while the man glared right into his own. He wonders if this is a test in itself and what he can do to pass it, but all he's capable of doing at present is shuffling about in a nervous fashion, thinking that if looks could kill, he'd certainly drop dead by now.

"Keito, there's no need to be glarin' at him like that, don'tcha think?" Nazuna finally cuts into the tension hanging in the air and Tomoya silently thanks him over and over as the man called Keito scoffs and rolls his eyes.

"He isn't answering my question. I am simply waiting for the answer." Keito replies, gesturing with his book to Tomoya, "Who _are_  you?"

Squeaking a bit in surprise at first, Tomoya gulps and steps forward, mustering up as much courage as possible in order to reply - he can't waste the opening Nazuna gave him...! Keito didn't seem to be very... good at socializing, did he? So... this time, despite his personality, Tomoya would have to step out of his comfort zone and lead the conversation. Rather shyly, he starts, "I... Well. My name is Tomoya." But he's soon cut off by a sigh.

"No, no. That's not it. Who are _you?_ " Keito asks again and Tomoya inwardly complains that he keeps stressing a different word everytime he repeats the same phrase and it really throws him off!

"I... don't know? I was pretty sure I am Tomoya Mashiro all this time, but..."

"Have you changed at all since this morning?"

Tomoya furrows his brows, frowning in thought. "I... believe so?"

"Then you are not the same as what you thought. You have changed. So. Who. Are. You?"

"Well, then I guess I can't say who I am, if I'm not "myself", don't you agree?"

It's faint and quick, but Tomoya thinks Keito gives a small twitch of the lips in a smile then. "I do agree." Perhaps, Tomoya thinks, that Keito is a kind person deep down, and has difficulties expressing his feelings. Similar to Wataru, but not quite exactly. Is that why Eichi adores them both, or is there more to it? Oh, but this world is different, is it not? Well, different yet the same. So he thinks, too, that he has no clue and he's no closer to the truth than when he began thinking.

"Child." Keito says firmly, and Tomoya snaps out of his thoughts and goes stiff at attention, looking up again, this time meeting his eyes properly. He barely has time to think to himself that they aren't that many years apart, so calling him child is rather odd...!

"Y-Yes?"

Keito looks away now (and Tomoya grumbles to himself in his thoughts about how he'd FINALLY met his eyes but he looked away...!) and opens his book again, adjusting his glasses carefully, antennae atop his head twitching lightly. "You'd do better off in this place if you remember who you are, who you can become, and who you used to be. These seconds ticking by? I have changed, you have changed. That is the truth. But how have you changed? Is it good or bad? Is it the way you wanted? Do you love yourself despite it all? _Who are you?_ ... Please keep that in mind, Alice."

"That's a pretty heavy thing, don't you think? I'm... I'm sure we don't all change THAT much..."

"Awww," Nazuna speaks up again after having stayed respectably silent this entire time (Tomoya thinks he was giving him a chance to handle it himself, yet ready to step in if help was needed - just like _his_ Nazuna), slapping a hand down on Tomoya's shoulder, "don't be so negative, Alice! Anything can happen! Ya had a real good train goin' while talkin' to Keito, y'know! He's the wisest here, also known as Absolom the Caterpillar! And he--"

Nazuna's speech and the conversation at whole was cut short, then, as they all turned to look to the same part of the forest where the trees and bushes rustled, vines swinging about left and right and all over until...

"Purrrrrrfect! I made it exactly where I wanted to go this time! Wahaha!"

A sense of dread can be felt coming directly from Keito, whereas Nazuna seems a bit exasperated but smiles nonetheless. Tomoya, however, doesn't seem to get it as Nazuna takes the lead as always and addresses the man. "Leo... what are you doing here?"

Leo grins, stepping on flowers and they crunch beneath his boots, throwing about vines as they wrap around him, and finally tumbling out, landing on this stomach with a great ' **thud!** ', but he keeps his grin regardless. "Hello, hello! I came here to purrrrrass a meowssage, and it took a long time, nya'know! But I made it without mewch trrrrrouble instead of getting supurrrrrrrr lost and needing the White Queen's help!"

"Tsk..." Keito's fingers that hold the book seem to clench it tighter, as if restraining himself from throwing it at the newcomer. "Can you just get on with what you have to say and hurry along?"

"Wahaha! Keito's grrrrrrrrumpy, huh? Huh?" Leo picks himself up and dusts himself off, picking off leaves and things from his body that had accumulated onto him from his little fight with nature and tossing them away. "What's got your antennae all twisted in a knot?" He then notices Tomoya's presence and, before Tomoya can even say hello, he's disappeared. Of course, this makes Tomoya mumble in confusion about how he did that and where he could've gone, but he's soon tapped on the shoulder, so he spins around and meets Leo's (who's floating in the air) face.

"Uwaah! How... what... what the...?"

"You're Alice, yeah? Yeah!? That's supurrrrrrr cool!" Leo talks even faster than Nazuna does and Tomoya's head whirls about trying to keep up but before the conversation can go any further, they're interrupted by a fist slamming against a tree trunk, accompanied by a VERY annoyed voice.

"The hell did I tell you, Leo!? I told you to slow it down! You're always going ahead without thinking about the rest! _SO_ annoying!"

It's as if the four of them seem to sigh inwardly in sync - one thought in common: " _Ah, it's Izumi._ "

"Listen, Izumi, there's no need to complain. He had a message to bring, right? So it makes total sense for him to rush along!" Nazuna defends Leo, who has now moved to hide behind the small blond, nodding his head exaggeratedly in agreement.

"We were SUPPOSED to come TOGETHER, Nazu." Izumi scowls, "And BESIDES, _I_ have the message! He just wants to get the job done so he can hurry along back to the castle and have the Queen pet him!"

"Wahaha! But Suo pets me reeeeeeeeeeeal well, nya'know? Don't be so mad, Duchess!"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT, YOU STUPID CAT."

"AHEM." Keito clears his throat before the two can delve further into their argument, and Tomoya thinks to himself that surely Keito must be the most exhausted of them all right now. "Regardless of your group's _problems_ , you said you had a message, did you not? So, if you so badly want to head back home, you might as well give it, right, Izumi? I'm sure the White Knave is looking everywhere for you."

"... Tch. Naru can wait a bit longer... Whatever... The message Suu wanted us to pass on is that, if Alice," Izumi looks to Tomoya with a glare and Tomoya hides behind Leo (who's still hiding behind Nazuna). "is prepared, they should head to the castle as soon as possible. ... It's not like we can wait all day for Alice when we got a war to handle..." That last bit was definitely his own personal comment.

War? Oh, he wants no part in a war! Does that mean this White Queen person wants to protect him from it? That'd be good - but he thinks that's unlikely for some reason. These people didn't make much sense, after all.

"Ah. Well, I can't really explain much to him," Keito shrugs, "because the Hatter has the scroll now."

"Ohhh? Ohhhh!? So we have to go to the Hatter!" Leo chimes in, "That ought to be fun! Don't you agree, Alice?"

Izumi looks as if he might blow up at this point - he clearly doesn't want to bother with more work than he already has. And he grumbles, "If everybody minded their own business, the world would go 'round a lot faster than it does." And Tomoya can only assume he's talking about this Hatter person, but he mumbles (without really knowing it), that it wouldn't be much of an advantage, because it would not speed up the actual time in the least. Of course, Izumi glares at him and Tomoya just shrinks back further, covering his mouth.

"Well, it doesn't matter how fast we can make this anymore, does it? We really do have to go to the Tea Party, don't we?" Nazuna shrugs, "You can go home, though, Izumi. I'm sure Leo, Keito, and I can take Alice there ourselves."

"You sure bet you will! I have to get back to the castle! I don't have time for stupid things like this." Izumi snaps before stomping his way out, grumbling and groaning the entire time - because he's certainly loud about it and they all hear him until he finally (thankfully) fades away.

"... Well! Nyaow that that's over, we should go, right? Ohh, I love goin' to the Tea Party! Not as much as Suo's lap, but it's a good second purrace. I used to go there all the time, when the Tea Party was bigger and mewore vibrrrrrrant, not that it isn't anymore, but it's not quite the same, nya'know?" Leo rambles on, still grinning throughout it all.

"Um... but how exactly do we get there?" Tomoya asks.

"Oh, does it meowtter? As long as you get there, who cares, right? It's the journey, not the destination!" Leo proclaims proudly, "And _our_ destination is the Tea Party! Oh, you know, they're all oddballs."

Tomoya, now, sees where this is going. "... Oh. Do we really have to go? Maybe I should wait right here with Keito, where he's comfortable, and you get the scroll and bring it back here, for us to read and then we can be on our way to the castle?"

"Oh, no no no! Ya gotta come! It's a cool place, Alice! They may be oddballs, but they're a real cool bunch if ya get to know them!" Nazuna insists (and in the background, Keito seems to sink in spirits, having quite liked Tomoya's idea).

Oh, I do know, Tomoya thinks despite himself, but he quickly shakes his head wildly to dismiss such thoughts. There's no time for mushy feelings right now! Didn't Izumi mention something about a war?

"It doesn't really meowtter, we're all odd. I'm odd, you're odd." Leo says, "We can't really define who's "odd" and "not", especially if it's all based within, right? What's odd to me isn't odd to you. I think that being "normal" is way more odd than being odd."

"That makes not an ounce of sense." Tomoya argues.

"Oh yes it does! You're just thinkin' with only your logic, not mine!"

"But how am I supposed to think with your logic!?"

"By opening up and understanding people, of course!"

Tomoya shuts up, then, wondering if Leo's words do really make sense. But he can't quite understand it, not with how he's been thinking all this time, all his _life_ , even. But Keito's words held weight too - changing, yet staying, and never forgetting... He supposed that he might have something to learn from being here after all.

"Well," Nazuna links arms with Tomoya and Leo, who links his free arm with Keito (who had finally resigned himself to travelling and gotten down next to them), and holds his head up high. "we ought to get goin' then, right? No time to waste, we can't be late!"

And so they walk, just like that with arms linked (and only Nazuna and Leo seem to be handling it quite well), through the forest that once again held no signs or directions in the slightest, yet they all seemed to know where they were going. Tomoya takes this time to think as they walk along, trying to figure out everything they keep telling him, but then he remembers Nazuna warning him to not think and just go, and it twists his thoughts up even more so he gives up on thinking for now and by that time, after all his internal fighting has exhausted him well, he begins to hear the sounds of a party happening.

And he thinks, too, that he hears a very familiar (almost comforting) vibrant laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> amazing... ☆ reading is a "wonderland"! see you next chapter. ☆


	4. INTERMISSION / UPDATE

Helloooooooo! I haven't forgotten of this story yet - I assure you! I intend to finish it and I _had_ done so, having written every chapter out with intention to post one per day but... well, my computer hates me so it was all lost. And after that fiasco, Valkyrie was announced and released, leaving me to wonder where I'd put Shu and Mika within this world (even if it's not required, I'd like to give them a place here).

So! For now, this will be put on a short hold until I know more about Shu and Mika's interactions with others and more on their individual personalities so I can give them solid roles here! Right now, it's a little difficult to place them. Hopefully after the upcoming event, I'll figure it out!

Therefore, I'll see you all sometime soon (I'd prefer!) with the rest of the story, which can be completed at mach speed once I figure out these new roles. Please look forward to Tomoya meeting more curiouser and curiouser people in the near future!

Thank you greatly for your patience!


End file.
